Swedish researchers eventually create transparent timber, which can replace glass in the manufacture of structures such as windows and facades and, especially, significantly reduce the solar panel production costs. Within a few years, you can even turn their own windows and walls of houses and buildings in solar panels.
This is the futuristic version of wood, one of the best and cheapest in the world building materials.
The new material was developed by the Royal Institute of Swedish Technology (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan – KTH), headquartered in the Swedish capital
“the transparent wood is an excellent material to replace glass in the manufacture of solar panels, since it is produced from a cheap resource, abundant and renewable. , “he told BBC researcher Lars Berglund, head of the Wallenberg Centre of Wood Science at KTH.
” it is therefore a particularly important material to reduce solar panels deployment costs on large surfaces , which can benefit regions with good climatic conditions for the use of solar energy, such as Brazil, “he adds.
to create a transparent timber, the Swedish researchers developed a chemical process of removing the lignin, a natural component of the cell wall of the timber.
“When the lignin is removed, the wood becomes white. The white porous surface is then coated with a transparent polymer having optical properties “explains Lars Berglund.
The transparent effect is accomplished through manipulation nanoscale technologies, ie the atomic and molecular scale.
the result is a sheet of natural wood, but visually transparent.
the Swedish findings were published in the journal of the American Chemical Society (American Chemical Society), the Biomacromolecules.
Although the transparent timber has previously been developed on a microscopic scale for the wood anatomy study purposes, the Swedish research first developed a method for the use of commercial-scale equipment.
in the Swedish investigation, the transparent timber was made from pine wood and balsa wood.
“But any kind of tree can be used, and now plan to work with different types of wood ‘Berglund says.
wood is by far the most used material in different construction, points out the researcher. In addition to being a renewable resource, it also offers excellent mechanical properties such as strength, low density – which gives lightness to the material -. And the low thermal conductivity, providing good insulation against extreme temperature changes
With the new transparent timber, is expected to significantly reduce energy costs. The Swedish study shows that the use of energy in homes and buildings, including electric lights, air conditioners and water heaters, is approximately 30 to 40% of total energy consumption.
“It is therefore of great importance to reduce energy consumption in the building sector. In this context, solar energy is very attractive, since it is a clean, free and inexhaustible energy “, says the study.
Among the future applications of the transparent timber, you can build windows, walls and facades houses that are at the same time, solar panels
in cold climates, the use of transparent wood in construction will also allow solar energy to be harnessed for heating homes. – the same principle of greenhouses plants – thereby reducing energy consumption
transparent wood panels can be used also in the manufacture of windows and facades of semitransparent houses, in order to replace the artificial light in natural light and at the same time. maintain privacy settings.
“It is possible to build fully transparent windows with the new material,” Berglund says.
the next step of the KTH researchers will develop the degree of transparency wood, and improve the production process of the new material. Lars Berglund calculates that the manufacture of the transparent timber on a commercial scale can be initiated within the next years:
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